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Vatican City, 9 January 2014 (VIS) –
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, C.S., Pontifical Delegate for the
Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, yesterday celebrated the
Mass for the opening of the Extraordinary General Chapter of the
Legionaries of Christ. The mass, celebrated in the Centre for Higher
Studies of the Legion of Christ, was preceded by a Novena to the Holy
Spirit in which all the Legionaries participated, and a week-long
retreat for the Chapter fathers.

Following a path of renewal, which has
lasted three and a half years and had a precise mandate from the Holy
Father Benedict XVI, the Chapter will appoint the new government of
the congregation, and approve the new constitutions.

In his homily, Cardinal De Paolis
stressed that the revision of the constitutions “cannot simply be
considered a technical effort, but should be accompanied by a process
of examination of life, of review and of spiritual renewal for the
institute”. Therefore, it cannot be regarded simply as a “code of
laws”, that unites them “only in discipline”, but rather as “an
expression of a common vocation, a common ideal, a common mission, a
common path to healing”.

Referring to the appointment of the new
government of the institution, the Cardinal repeated that its primary
duty “is to preserve and promote the Institute’s charism; the
charism is only guaranteed when authority is exercised as service, in
the spirit of the Gospel and in fidelity to the norms of the Church.
It is a point which should always be given special attention,
especially for you, who have a history of suffering in this regard.
It is important not to forget that. And this has been a topic about
which the new constitutional text has been careful and vigilant”.

The cardinal, recalling the path of
preparation culminating in the General Chapter, urged the Legion to
preserve “hope in the Lord who has preserved your vocation; hope in
the Legion, which, thanks to you, presents itself to this chapter
with new strength and new horizons; and hope in the Church, which has
accompanied you, particularly through Pope Benedict XVI – who, in
the most tragic moment in your history, has had confidence in you and
has believed in your capacity for renewal and faithfulness to the
Lord – and in the current Supreme Pontiff Pope Francis – who
wanted to be present at this important moment in your history”.

“You have suffered much, both
internally and externally”, concluded Cardinal De Paolis. “You
have suffered the shame of being accused, viewed with suspicion and
of being exposed to public opinion, even within the Church. You have
been able to accept this suffering out of love for your vocation, and
out of love for the Church and for the Legion. Suffering has
purified you, matured you and made you experience God’s grace and
love, who has called you to share in the mystery of redemption
through the cross and through sorrow. You have participated in the
pain of those who have suffered because of some members of the
Legion. You have chosen the only way the Gospel knows for the
redemption of evil: not escape, not rejection, not the condemnation
of others, but participation, solidarity, and love that enters into
sin and sorrow so as to redeem them from the inside”.